The dynamic trio Freak Kitchen have finally arrived with
the follow up to their magnificent album Move (2002). Freak Kitchen
is a band that makes you happy and on a good mood with their melodic
styled hard rock and some serious brilliant guitar playing. With their
mix of humor and seriousness and catchy songs with awesome musical skills
from the band I have found them irresistible during the years and my
expectations on Organic was perhaps higher than what I usually have
from a band.

Speak When Spoken To which opens the album is the hardest
track I have heard from Freak Kitchen and has a raw attitude with some
really heavy riffs, and the craziness and amazing guitar playing is
in the right place immediately from the beginning. The band is joined
by Bumblefoot on the track and I am not gonna pretend to know who he
is, but I can tell you one thing, he is one hell of a guitar player.
The guitar playing is amazing as always from IA. Without having with
a "in your face" attitude he dazzles you with his fingers
and what they are able to do, technical or emotional, fast or slow,
heavy or soft, he masters all methods of playing.

With Freak Kitchen there are no fancy songs, but instead
just quality and well performed strong hard rock songs with refrains
that stick almost immediately and with freakish guitar playing from
IA. And even if the start was heavy, most songs are in the traditional
and typical Freak manor with Rights to You, Look Bored, Mussolini Mind
and Heal Me for instance, but what I miss this time is a bit more sting
in the song material.

On Organic there are a couple of songs that pass you by
without notice, and even if some of them hold great guitar parts the
songs aren't strong enough as could be expected from Freak Kitchen.
Independent Way Of Life, Becky and Infidelity Ghost for instance, are
songs that are more pale and lifeless than what you could expect from
these guys and those tracks don't quite have what it takes.

I find it hard to compare Freak Kitchen with other bands
but one vibe I occasionally get is one close to Kings X, especially
in the parts with vocal harmonies that are something that Freak Kitchen
favors in some of their songs. Organic, which is the bands sixth album,
is also the second album with Björn and Christer, two very talented
guys that don't get as much focus as IA, but nevertheless these two
guys make a solid rhythm section and help to get the groove and flow
going in the music.

Freak Kitchen is a band that is full of playfulness and
it shows on their albums, mostly in many of the lyrics written with
a humoristic touch and also with the crazy guitar breaks. Although that
side never comes to its full right on the album but luckily there is
a bonus DVD stuck to Organic that includes three live videos. Not the
best sound or picture but good enough to temporarily satisfy the need
of seeing Freak Kitchen live, and along with three other promotional
videos, this is a good bonus.